Short Summary

A collection of historic bi-planes took to the air in the English county of Bedfordshire on Monday (19 April) in the first Shuttle worth Air Display to be held this year.

Description

A collection of historic bi-planes took to the air in the English county of Bedfordshire on Monday (19 April) in the first Shuttle worth Air Display to be held this year.

Ten thousand people took advantage of the warmest Easter weather in Britain for many years to attend the display at the Old Warden Aerodrome near the town of Biggleswade.

Most of the planes taking part are owned by the Shuttle worth Collection, a self-supporting educational charity based at the aerodrome. Many items in the collection are said to be the last remaining flying examples of particular aircraft in the world.

One of these in the German LVG C6, which was built in 1918 and flew against the British Royal Air Force towards the end of the First Wold War. This particular plane was captured at the end of the war and flown for evaluation. It was bought by the Shuttle worth Collection 10 years ago. There is only one other LVG C6 known to be in existence and it is confined to a museum in Belgium.

Another bi-plane which attracted great interest at the display was the Pitts, an American designed aircraft which is sold in kit form to be assembled by the purchaser. It is the only bi-plane still being built outside the Soviet Union and is said to be extremely strong and manoeuvrable.

Among the other aircraft taking part in the display were a British Gloster Gladiator fighter built about 1938; a Hawker Tomtit trainer built in the early 1930's; 1916 Sop with Pup and a Miles Magister.